Office on African American Affairs

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Welcome to the Office of Equity

Our Mission

Our mission is to be a catalyst for Milwaukee County's vision as a whole, which is by acheiving racial equity, Milwaukee is the healthiest county in Wisconsin. We value and empower residents to identify and create impactful change through awareness, responsibility, and action. We work to challenge and change policies, practices, and power structures that have resulted in historic and persistent barriers to equity.

What Is Equity?

 

The Milwaukee County Office of Equity (OOE) defines equity as the just and fair inclusion of people in a society where everybody can participate, prosper, and reach their full human potential.

OOE makes this definition operational by: 

  • Enhancing the capabilities of county leaders, government departments, and municipalities. 

  • Socializing shared language, definitions, and concepts to apply an equity lens to all decision-making. 

  • Engaging Milwaukee County residents 

  • Facilitating the collective impact to assess and transform policies, practice, and power structures to make Milwaukee a region where every citizen is welcomed, healthy, and thriving.” 

 

We believe that equity benefits everyone. A rising tide lifts all boats, and an equitable community improves systems for everyone!

Equality vs equity: Equality shows 3 people of differing heights all standing on a box to see over a fence. Only the tallest person can see. Equity shows 3 people of differing heights all standing on 3 separate boxes. The shortest person needs a tall box, and the tallest person does not need a box.

Services

The Office of Equity has the unique role of providing support for all Milwaukee County government departments while also having the advantage if being a direct link to external systems, organizations, resident-based leaders, and community members. Our overall focus includes:

  • Research
  • Community Engagement
  • Technical Assitance 
  • Policy Advocacy for Systems Change
  • Strategic Partnerships

Social Determinants of Health

Determinantes Sociales de la Salud

As a county, we must invest where the needs are greatest to realize our vision of Milwaukee County achieving equity and becoming the healthiest county in the state. This includes everyone having access to the opportunities, power, and resources to flourish and achieve their full potential. Milwaukee County is addressing upstream, root-cause issues that continue unfair treatment in economic status, neighborhood, and built environment, education, food and nutrition, safety, and health and well-being, also known as the Social Determinants of Health.  

Economic Stability /
Estabilidad Económica		 Neighborhood & Environment /
Vecindario y Medio Ambiente
 Access to Education /
Accesso a la Educación 		Food & Nutrition /
Alimentación y Nutrición 		Community, Safety, & Social /
Comunidad, Seguridad y Secidad 		Health & Wellbeing /
Salud y Bienestar
  • Employment /
    Empleo
  • Income /
    Ingreso
  • Expenses /
    Gastos
  • Debt /
    Deuda
  • Medical Bills /
    Facturas Bédicas
  • Support Programs /
    Programas de apoyo
  • Housing /
    Alojamiento
  • Transportation /
    Transporte
  • Parks & Playgrounds /
    Parques y áreas de juego
  • Walkability /
    Accesibilidad para peatones
  • Literacy /
    Alfabetismo
  • Language /
    Idioma
  • Early Education /
    Educación temprana
  • Vocational Training /
    Formación Profesional
  • Higher Education /
    Educación Superior
  • Food Security /
    Seguridad alimentaria
  • Access to healthy options /
    Acceso a opciones saludables
  • Social Integration /
    Integración social
  • Support Systems /
    Sistemas de soporte
  • Community Engagement /
    Participación comunitaria
  • Exposure to violence/trauma /
    Exposición a la violencia/trauma
  • Police & Justice /
    Policía y Justicia
  • Health Coverage /
    Cobertura de salud
  • Provider & Pharmacy Availability /
    Disponibilidad de proveedores y farmacias
  • Access to quality of care /
    Acceso a una atención de calidad

Milwaukee County Office of Equity

Levels of Government 

OOE realizes that understanding the different levels of government and the issues they address is crucial for navigating and advocating within our communities. To help better understand this, the following slideshow breaks down the different levels and the issues they address that impact you. We also included a section on when you should contact your local alderperson and when you should contact your county supervisor to assist you in reporting any concerns, as well as a graphic explaining some of the roles performed by each level of government. 

Federal

Space Exploration

National Defense

Food Assistance Programs
(Food Stamps)

Disaster Response
(FEMA)

Funding Grants to State, County, and Local Gov

State

Public Universities

State Police and Highway Patrol

Wildlife Conservation

Child Welfare Programs

Funding Grants to County and Local Gov

County

Highway and Freeway Maintenance

Human Services

County Parks

Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

Public Transit

Local/Municipal

Police

You

Fire Dept.

Waste Management

Economic Development

Zoning and Planning

Contact Us

Assistance Request

For all county departments and community organizations looking for technical assistance or capacity building support from the Office of Equity, use our assitance request form. 

 

General Contact

For all other inquiries or if you are unsure where to start, use our general contact form. 

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